|
 |
 |
Design |
 |
Perform Card Sorting
- What is card sorting?
- What do you learn from card sorting?
- What are the benefits of card sorting?
- What are the different types of card sorting?
- How does card sorting work?
- How do you conduct a card sort?
- What are the different ways of doing card sorting?
- Using software for card sorting
What is card sorting?
Card sorting is a way to involve users in grouping information for a Web site.
Participants in a card sorting session are asked to organize the content from your Web site in a way that makes sense to them. Participants review items from your Web site and then group these items into categories. Participants may even help you label these groups.
What do you learn from card sorting?
Card sorting helps you learn how users think about your content and how they would organize the information on your Web site.
What are the benefits of card sorting?
Card sorting helps you build the structure for your Web site, decide what to put on the home page, and label the home page categories. It also helps to ensure that you organize information on your site in a way that is logical to your users.
What are the different types of card sorting?
There are two types of card sorts: an open card sort and a closed card sort.
In an open card sort, participants are asked to organize the cards into groups that make sense to them and then name each group. In a closed card sort, participants are asked to sort items into pre-defined categories.
The following table describes the benefits of each method:
|
Open Card Sort |
An open card sort is typically done when you want to learn how users group content and understand the terms or labels users call each category. |
|
Closed Card Sort |
A closed card sort typically works best when you are working with a pre-defined set of categories and you want to learn how users sort content items into each category. A closed sort works well after an open sort. By conducting an open card sort first, you can begin to identify categories of content. You can then use a closed card sort to see how well the category labels work. |
How does card sorting work?
After you select (or recruit) a group of participants who closely resemble your user population, you should:
- Give each participant (or two participants working together) a set of index cards. Each card should include one topic from your Web site.
- Ask participants to group the cards in a way that makes sense to them. Many participants start by placing the first card on the table and then look at the second card to see whether it belongs in the same group or if it deserves its own category - and so on through the set of cards.
- After participants have grouped the cards, you can ask them to name or label each group.
 
|
 
|
 
|
Why should you use index cards with one topic per card?
With index cards:
- Users can group - and regroup - the cards.
- Users build hierarchies that reflect the categories they want on the home page and how they would group information in those categories on second-level and lower-level pages.
How do you conduct a card sort?
Getting the cards ready
- List the content topics or types of information that you are likely to have on the site (if it's a new site) or list the most important / popular types of content on your current site.
To help you create this list, begin by reviewing the content listed in your content inventory. Next, you need to identify the most important or most frequently used content. To do this, start by reviewing the information from your: - Write each topic on a separate index card. (Hint: Use self-adhesive labels and a word processor. The cards will be neat, legible, and consistent. Also, you'll have the list of topics in the computer for later analysis.)
- Limit yourself to 100 cards or less. (About 50 is a good number.)
- Have blank cards available for participants to add topics and to name the groups they make when they sort the cards. (Hint: Consider using a different colored card for having participants name the groups.)
- Number the cards in the bottom corner or on the back. (This helps you when you begin to analyze the cards.)
Arranging for card sorting sessions
- Select participants to represent the range of users - draw from different user groups with different levels of experience.
- Plan about one hour for each session - longer if you have many cards.
- Arrange for a space where the participant has enough room to spread the cards out on a table. A conference room works well.
- Plan to have someone take notes as the participant works and thinks aloud.
- As with other techniques, arrange for payment or other incentives to thank the participant for spending the time and effort helping you.
Conducting a card sorting session
- Show the participant the set of cards and explain that you are asking for help to find what categories of information should be on the site's home page and what those categories should be called. Explain that you want to see what groupings of cards make sense to the participant and that when the participant has grouped the cards, you will ask for a name for each group of cards.
- Ask the participant to talk out loud while working. (This is the same technique you use in usability testing.) You want to understand the participant's thoughts and rationale.
- Let the participant work. Also, let the participant add cards - for example, to indicate lateral hyperlinks or additional topics. Let the participant put cards aside to indicate topics the participant would not want on the site. Minimize interruptions but encourage the participant to think aloud.
- At the end, if the participant has too many groups for the home page, ask if some of the groups could be combined for the home page.
- Give the participant a stack of different colored cards and ask them to use the colored card to name each group. What words would the participant expect to see on the home page or second-level page that would lead the participant to that particular group of content items?
- At the end, thank the participant and give the payment or other gift (if promised).
 
|
|
The above photos show cards from a card sort conducted by the General Services Administration for www.gsa.gov. In these examples, the participant organized cards into logical groups and used the colored note cards (the pink / blue cards) to name each category. |
Analyzing Data
- Use the numbers on the cards to quickly record what that participant has done. Write down the names that participant gave to each grouping and the numbers of the cards the participant included under that name. Then you can reshuffle the cards for the next session.
- If you want a complete picture of the detailed site map each user has created, create a computer file for each session. Working from your original list of topics, move topics around to recreate each participant's groupings and enter that participant's name for the groupings.
- For a less detailed analysis, use your notes and recordings of the participants' names and card numbers under each person's name to find commonalities from different sessions.
- For a more detailed analysis, consider using an Excell spreadsheet to show the relationship between the cards or use one of the available software programs to analyze your data.
What are the different ways of doing card sorting?
|
In-person sessions with an observer |
The participant thinks aloud while sorting. You get the richness of the participant's thoughts. |
|
Concurrent in-person sessions |
Each participant sorts a set of cards independently. The facilitator may brief the participant at the beginning and debrief the participant at the end, but the participant works alone for most of the session. You can have many sessions at the same time with one facilitator. You must have as many sets of cards as concurrent sessions or have each participant at a separate computer. |
|
Remote, computer-based sessions |
You have many participants in many locations. You do not have observations or think aloud, so you get no information on why participants sort the cards the way they do.
|
Using software for card sorting
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)'s card-sorting tool, WebCAT, may be downloaded and used for free.
For a list and description of commercially-available tools, visit the Society for Technical Communication's card sorting overview. For an article about card sorting with links to some tools visit, UsabilityNet's card sorting summary.
Next steps
After you analyze the data from card sorting, you should have useful information for structuring your Web site—for the information architecture of the site. You should use the results of your card sort to help you Define the Navigation of your Web site.
Next, you must create good content by Writing for the Web.
